Recent major bleaching events on coral reefs of the South Pacific are not unusual. Earlier, higher sea surface temperatures did not cause dramatic bleaching and did not destroy the reefs. They regularly reconstruct themselves. more…
original source added 1 Jan 2024:
In conclusion, substantial evidence indicates recent major bleaching events experienced by coral reefs of the South Pacific Ocean are not as unusual as recent observations might seem to imply, as much longer records reveal instances of similar bleachings in prior centuries. In addition, there is substantial evidence for much earlier greater-than-present sea surface temperatures that did not elicit dramatic bleaching; and when such bleaching has occurred, it typically has not spelled the end of the reefs involved, for many of them have regularly reconstructed themselves in their own prior image.
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